UNRWA -- Guilty As Charged

"[The agency] did not know what is under its headquarters in Gaza."

"Any UNRWA employee who was involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution."

"Of the 12 people implicated, UNRWA immediately identified and terminated the contracts of ten, another two are confirmed dead."

UNRWA commissioner general Philippe Lazzarini

"Israel Defense Forces uncovered a] subterranean data centre [beneath UNRWA's headquarters situated in an upscale Gaza area]. An electrical room, industrial battery power banks and living quarters for Hamas terrorists operating the computer servers [were discovered through a formal search of the tunnel]."

"There is no doubt that UNRWA staff knew that [Hamas] was digging a massive tunnel beneath them."

"There's a perimeter wall, a gate, cameras; at the gate they log who comes in and out."

"Whoever worked at UNRWA knew very well who was coming in, and who they were covering for."

IDF commander Col. Benny Aharon

Video showing an UNRWA worker driving a white UN jeep, and abducting the body of Jonathan Samerano, who was killed by Hamas terrorists on October 7. (Screenshot)

While UNRWA announced on August 5 that it had taken steps to relieve nine employees who "may have been involved" in the Hamas October 7 attack in southern Israel, of employment with the Agency, no one in the Western legacy media much less government officials appear to question why it might be that the UN agency would even give employment to such questionable individuals in the first place. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in essence became a useful shield for the Palestinian members of terrorist groups in employing them.

Another grave issue awaiting answers is the very fact that of the over one hundred UNRWA employees with terrorist links of whom the Agency was made aware through the transfer by Israel to UNRWA of the results of their investigations, why when "detailed information" identifying 108 UNRWA workers with links to Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a mere 19 merited an investigation with respect to those links by UNRWA itself.

In late January a dozen UNRWA employees were revealed to have taken part in the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel. That shocking revelation moved many democratic nations to suspend their funding to the Agency. The United States sent a bill for consideration to Congress that had the potential of permanently cutting off U.S. aid to UNRWA, while the United Kingdom's newly-elected Labour government announced July 19 its intention to resume UNRWA funding. For its part, Canada lifted its "temporary pause" on funding UNRWA.

When the Israel Defense Forces discovered a tunnel under UNRWA headquarters, they discovered within, "grenades, rockets, launchers, explosives, a large amount of weapons that would put any Hamas company to shame", according to IDF commander Col. Benn Aharon. With that intelligence at hand, Israel provided UNRWA with information that there were ties to terrorist organizations among a large group of its employees.

In response, UNRWA launched its probe of seven employees, and a further dozen two months later, ultimately announcing that on January 26 some employees had been fired. UNRWA has never confirmed the total number of employees fired. The Times of Israel responded on August  4 that "the nine employees that UNRWA stated Monday had been dismissed included staff members fired back in January."  

 

No word, however, of the large group identified by Israel's Foreign Ministry with possible terrorist links. Which led Ilad Erdan, Israel's ambassador to the UN,  to describe the  Office of Internal Oversight Services investigation as "a disgrace".

A view of a junction shows the aftermath of a mass-infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, in the Sderot area, southern Israel October 7, 2023. REUTERS/Ammar Awad/File Photo

"[The UN Office of Internal Oversight Services in an August 5 news release stated it investigated a total of] 19 area UNRWA staff members. [For 9 UNRWA employees] the evidence, if authenticated and corroborated, could indicate that the UNRWA staff members may have been involved in the attacks of 7 October."

"[Nine other cases were closed as a result of] insufficient [evidence. In one case], no evidence was obtained [and the individual] rejoined the Agency."

Independent UN office: Office of Internal Oversight Services

Israeli graphic on 12 UNRWA staffers it alleges participated in the October 7 onslaught.